Thread: Etiquette query - opinion sought

In Vic used car dealers are required by law to supply the name and address of the previous owner. It is usually on the info sheet hung inside a side window.
Many years ago I purchased a vehicle from a dealer and I went around and saw the previous owner. He was cool with this.

Dave.

Originally Posted by BigJon

Why not?

Maybe if they broach money it would be ok. Otherwise it's between them and the dealer. They may not have even sold to the selling dealer.

I'm just not sure that it would make a big difference to the outcome and if it offends the original owner.. that's a bridge burnt.

If the dealer has not ripped off either party, no one should be offended. If they did rip off either party, they deserve to get caught.

The dealer most certainly has the right to make a profit after his costs and they can be quite high, and the both the seller and buyer should have the right to know if that profit was fair and reasonable.

Sometimes the seller will put one over the dealer,... it does happen,... but not often.

That view may be simplistic, but as yet I can't find any faults in it.

I've done it twice. Spoke to the first owner of my first Disco (I was the third owner of that one). He was on a big property up in the Mallee and was stoked that the Discovery was still running!! It had 320,000 when I handed it onto the fourth owner.

The second one was a disaster and the bloke's wife cried and said she'd missed that car ever since they sold it

Ask away ... whatever you want to know ... they have the option of not answering.

Be nice about it ... they don't owe you anything.

I've sometimes gone to great lengths to find out previous owners details (especially when theres an unexplained gap in the records/history) and always contacted the previous owner before buying a vehicle.

Trade in prices become somewhat irrelevant when you find out that the car was traded with problems (head, gearbox, etc.) and the vehicle you're looking at buying has had those problems rectified.

Good Luck
Stevo

I have done it, was looking at a nissan sedan, the lady told me the car was reliable and they got the new model. It went well, untill I asked about her trade in price, she got 8k for the car, they were asking 14k. I was never going to earn a dealer 6k!

I cant see any issue at all including asking about the price. Its only a phone call.

Originally Posted by dullbird

I would consider that rude......

you wouldn't walk up to anyone you didn't know and ask them how much there mortgage is.

or who much do they earn......its just something you dont do!

And that is why many many people have money problems.
People seem to be afraid of talking about money and I don't understand why.

If people were more open about money then there wouldn't be so much misinformation and lack of knowledge.

If you want to know how much my mortgage is or how much I earn, just ask. It is no big secret!

Not sure about NSW, but in Qld there is a cooling-off period for secondhand vehicle purchases through a dealer. So even if you weren't given the previous owner's details by the dealer before buying, you would have them once you completed the purchase. Then if after ringing the previous owner you were told things that made you question your purchase, you could exercise your right to cancel the sale under the cooling-off period anyway. Maximum non-refundable deposit is $100.

So my short answer is - yes. Ring them and find out as much as you can because it's the same difference whether you do it before or after you complete the purchase.